


Tell Me Where It Hurts

by Laissez_Fairy



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Flashbacks, Hugs, Medical Trauma, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Trauma, harsh truths, spoilers for Growing Pains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:00:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23167372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laissez_Fairy/pseuds/Laissez_Fairy
Summary: After two years of secrecy, Connie finally comes clean to her mother.Takes place post "Growing Pains"
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran & Priyanka Maheswaran
Comments: 8
Kudos: 123





	Tell Me Where It Hurts

**Author's Note:**

> **Trigger Warning: Injury and Traumatic Flashbacks**

Priyanka felt her daughter’s shaky hand against her back as she led them out of the exam room. Steven’s heavy sobs could be heard radiating from down the hall and it broke her heart to see the sweet, sensitive boy she had come to know so well this broken. After all, Steven had become like a son to her with the multitude of times that he had been over Connie’s house playing _Magic the Gathering_ in their living room, the mornings he drove her to school, and when they would facetime one another late into the evening despite the elder woman’s objections.

A connection had clearly formed there but at this moment, she was more fixated on Connie. The young teen may have borne a calm smile, but her eyes betrayed her, shining with fear and concern. The doctor could even make out tears pricking at the corners. 

It brought her back to that day when she had first learned about all this gem stuff. Despite the imminent dangers, she always thought Connie was safe and well-protected, but clearly, she was wrong. How much had Connie been hiding from her? She had been so worried about Steven but didn’t even think to consider her daughter…” Priyanka shook her head. She would not go down that road. Parents only hit that wall when they were unable to help their children, but not her. She would not fail Connie again.

They found a vacated chair in the waiting area and luckily the halls were empty. Perhaps the glowing pink alien boy scared everyone else off. Priyanka massaged her temples, preparing to have a stern talk with the staff later. 

The walls were painted with a blue and turquoise paisley pattern, a recent design choice to make the area seem more comfortable for anxious patients. Before the pair stood a wide-angle fish tank filled with various colorful species of angelfish, all set against a warm backdrop of fake coral. The fish eased slowly through the waters in beat with the agonizing ticking of the wall clock. Priyanka nervously drummed her fingertips across her knees and glanced at her daughter, who still hadn’t said anything.

Instead, Connie was wringing her hands together with her head hung low and shoulders raised, a sign that proved she was hiding something. These details may have gone unnoticed before but after the incident with the gem mutants, Priyanka made sure to study every teensy thing Connie did should the need arrive. Now was that time.

Right when she planned to press for answers, the Indian girl burst into an uncontrollable fit of sobs. She held her hands to her face, her whole body shaking and curled inward. At that, the woman’s motherly instincts kicked in and she swept the weeping child into her arms. Connie didn’t pull away as she feared, but clutched onto her like a lifeline and buried her face in her shoulder.

“Connie, hun, what happened?”

“M-mom, I-I...” Connie choked on a sob and Priyanka pulled her closer.

“Please tell me,” she whispered back, almost pleading.

“I... haven’t exactly been honest with you and Dad.”

The doctor drew in a sigh. “Yes, I concluded that based on your boyfriend's responses in the exam room. What was that about?”

Connie pulled away and wiped at her eyes. “R-remember when Steven and I went into space? The…” she swallowed down a lump “diplomatic mission?” 

A shiver crept up Priyanka’s spine. Even though it felt against her better judgment, she agreed because Connie had seemed so excited, and after the lack of trust that befell between the two of them, she wanted to finally do something right by her. But every day Connie was gone, with no text or phone call, it worried her. As both a doctor and parent, it took every inch of her sanity not to jump to a worst-case scenario. Apparently, Connie didn’t feel so comfortable about the trip either for her trembling arms shook faster.

“You said everything worked out fine. You said it was a success.”

“Well, yeah, it was. Steven managed to reason with the diamonds and they stopped colonizing and cured the corrupted gems. But it didn’t go as smoothly as we initially thought. Steven, he, h-he...” her voice cracked. Priyanka wondered if she should do something, but Connie took a calming breath and steadied herself before continuing. “We were trapped on a ship; all the gems were under this sort of mind control. White diamond, the main dictator? She was unhappy with Steven, convinced he was his mom and determined to bring her back. I tried to save him but Pearl had me pinned. And then White, s-she, she...” Connie stumbled, unable to get the words out.

Priyanka clapped a gentle hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Connie, it's okay.”

The young teen squeezed her eyes tight, gritting her teeth and clutching the armrests. “She pulled out his gem!”

“WHAT?!” Priyanka shrieked and instantly flinched at the sound of her voice.

Connie nodded, more tears pouring down her cheeks. “She just plucked it out, like the stem of a flower. Steven.... he was so pale. I-I thought he died!” The words caught in her throat and she had to push herself to continue. “I’ve had that fear before, especially when he gave himself up to Homeworld. But I always clung onto this shred of hope that he'd be fine. Here though, I could see it happen. I saw him in pain and I couldn’t help him.”

“So this is the source of your night terrors?”

She nodded. 

About a month after they returned from Homeworld, Connie would wake up screaming and shouting things in her sleep. This wasn’t completely unusual as she was prone to speak in her sleep before, lovely genes courtesy of her father. Oftentimes, they were only stress-induced and didn’t garner much thought. Yet, Priyanka did find it a bit strange that Connie would be phoning Steven at two in the morning but figured it was because of a space-time difference thing. Now that everything was finally coming to light, the doctor felt as if a lead balloon was weighing on her stomach.

Connie shivered and hugged herself. “I know I should have told you guys, but I-I didn’t know how to say it. Steven wasn’t telling the gems and I guess, we mutually agreed it should be our secret. But now, with this, I…” She clutched the sides of her head and rubbed her hands down her cheekbones. “He proposed, Mom.”

Priyanka reeled back with enough force to slide the chair. “Proposed?! He’s only sixteen!”

“I know! I figured he wasn’t in the right mindset so I tried to let him down easy. But he must've taken it really hard…” Her voice cracked. Heavy teardrops continued gushing down her cheeks as she dug fingernails into her arms. “Now it’s like we’re back there, on Homeworld. He’s suffering all over again and I’m freakin’ useless!” 

She grabbed and pulled at her hair, teeth clenched tight. It was as if this entire time Connie was a tower of confidence that had just exploded, leaving behind debris and rubble in its wake.

Priyanka took a deep composing breath. The information she had just been relayed was… a lot, even for a doctor, someone who had to give harsh truths all the time. She should have been immune to such responses and yet she felt as if she would shatter from these revelations. Her daughter, whom she assumed was happy and reaching goals, was struggling almost as much as the traumatized hybrid around the corner. 

She leaned forward and forced herself to keep a leveled voice as she spoke. “Connie, I have something to tell you.” The girl looked over, worried lines creased on her forehead. “After I received my MD, my residency involved working with trauma surgeons.” 

“Whoa, Mom, I didn’t know that.”

“Now, practically speaking, it was only a couple of years and most of the procedures were relatively minor. But we had this one case. A young man, early thirties, with a gunshot wound. The bullet had broken through an artery and he was immediately rushed into surgery.”

Connie kept her gaze squarely focused on her mother's, full of intent and nervousness. 

“Everything went fine, we got him stabilized, vitals read normally. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That night I went into his room to record his progress and he started going into cardiac arrest.” Beeping machines pounded in Priyanka’s head as she recalled the terrible incident. “The doctors did everything they could, but they could not save him. It was the first time I had seen someone die right in front of me.”

She was flung back into that horrid day. The long nights staring at the ceiling, crying herself to sleep, seeing everyone cheerfully walk through life as if nothing had happened and being unable to process it. Connie placed a hand on her mother’s arm, reciprocating the warm touches with one of her own as a gesture of gratitude. 

Priyanka sent her a sad smile. “That incident haunted me for weeks. I was consumed by this overwhelming pit of guilt that we hadn’t done enough. But I soon came to understand that the situation was out of my control. We did what we could to save the man’s life and the ending result was beyond our reach.”

“But mom, you saw him in there. I made everything worse. Just being in the room with him caused him to lose control. I’ve... never seen him like this.” Connie pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. 

Pyrinaka placed a palm atop her head and began teasing her hair, combing out the split ends and snarls, as she had done when the girl was very young. “You did everything you could. It is unfortunate what’s going on with your friend, but Steven’s traumatic experiences are not yours to worry over. You’re only fifteen, sweetie. And despite what you may think, you’re doing something for him right now.”

Connie wiped the stream of tears away. “Yeah? What’s that?”

The woman cupped the girl’s knee and gave a reassuring squeeze. “This. Being there for him. Giving him that little support is what’s going to help him get through this. And honey, I promise you,” she raised Connie’s chin to her line of sight, a comforting gaze and warm smile on her face. “He will make it through this.”

Connie nodded numbly, the wise words finally reaching her.

“Now, I’m going to ask your father to take leave for a family emergency and we’re all going to have a serious talk about this.”

Connie lowered her head solemnly. Priyanka could see the gears turning in the teen’s head while she contemplated everything that unfolded. She only hoped her talk had been somewhat helpful and not belittling or overly controlling. 

Connie breathed in through her nose before looking up and giving her mother a sincere look. “Okay.”


End file.
